MAM
Komli Media restructures APAC team
MUMBAI: Digital media technology network Komli Media has restructured its business teams to further accelerate growth and meet customers‘ needs.
Komli Media India and North America managing director Gulshan Verma has been promoted to the role of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and will be responsible for all of Komli‘s business P&L. This new CRO Organisation will consist of all the regional and business managing directors across Komli Media worldwide.
Prior to this, Verma has served Komli Media for over two years as its Vice President and country head for India & North America.
Komli Media co-founder of and Southeast Asia (SEA) managing director Akshay Garg will take on the new role heading strategy and business operations across Komli globally. Garg was earlier vice president, international, for nearly three years at Komli Media during which he led Komli‘s international growth and strategy across UK, Australia and SEA, successfully leading all our international acquisitions and growing the SEA business to being the largest independent media network in the region.
Both will report to Komli Media CEO Prashant Mehta.
The newly created CRO Organisation will focus on addressing the marketer‘s need for integrated media solutions including those leveraging Komli‘s proprietary ATOM real-time bidding and mobile platforms.
The CRO Organisation will have several new additions. Mathew Ward has been promoted to Komli Media SEA while Pritesh Patel has been made Komli Media India & Middle East managing director. Matt Sutton has been promoted to Komli Engage and Play managing director. He will be responsible for Komli Media‘s Social and video solutions across all markets. Varsha Brajesh has been promoted to data & analytics director. All of them will join Komli Mobile vice president and managing director Amit Bhartiya and Komli Media Australia and New Zealand managing director Andrew Reid in the CRO Organisation.
Mehta said, “I am delighted to announce the new CRO Organization and strategy and operations function at Komli Media. Consumer behavior is changing across desktop, mobile, social and video in our core markets and therefore the message from our customers is very clear – we need to have an integrated approach that enables our sales teams to cross-sell solutions. Addressing this immediate need, Komli Media created the CRO Organisation, responsible for maximizing revenues and margins across all regions and products. The need for a dedicated strategy, planning and business operations is equally key to Komli‘s ability to scale, improve alignment across units and sharpen focus on key strategic priorities. With the development of the CRO Organization and the Strategy function, we are well-poised to scale our business successfully across APAC.”
Verma said, “Komli Media has grown by leaps and bounds through a combination of great technology, best publisher partners and a world-class team. I look forward to ensuring that we continue to successfully uphold our commitment towards clients across APAC.” Akshay Garg said, “Since its founding more than six years ago, Komli Media has experienced rapid growth to become the leading independent media network across the APAC region. In my new role, I‘m looking forward to optimizing our strategy, planning and operations functions to scale our business and increase market share across APAC.”
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
